Pregnancy and Babies

Are you looking for the best gifts for new moms? Well, as a new mom myself, I have some good ideas! I have a 5-year-old and a 7-month-old, so I am a new mom, twice over.

Speaking from experience, new moms are tired, drained, exhausted, spent, and in need of a whole lot of TLC. Anything that makes their life a little easier will fall into the category of best gifts for new moms.

Here are some ideas for the best gifts for new moms

A Babysitter – Whether you can babysit, or pay for a babysitter for the new mom, an hour or two break is the best gift for a new mom. I am honestly asking Santa for a 3-hour nap for Christmas, while someone else watches my kids. *Fingers crossed*

A Pedicure – A gift card for a pedicure is a great gift idea for a new mom. I guarantee her feet are achy and in need of some rubbing. If you can also secure a babysitter for her to go on that pedicure, you will likely be her favorite person, ever.

Dinner – A home cooked meal can go a LONG WAY for a tired, sleep-deprived new mom. Especially if she is nursing, in which case, she is likely hungry, all the time. Making a home-cooked or even healthy take-out meal is a kind gift for a new mom, and a good excuse to go see the new baby. You could also gift dump dinners, for the new mom to use at her convenience.

It is possible that the new mom on your shopping list hasn’t had an indulging bath in months. A 5-minute shower may be pressing their luck! Give them a reason to hand the baby to dad (or grandma) and give into a little R&R by gifting them these luxuriously organic bath bombs.

A coloring book that is just for moms in need of a little relaxation. Coloring can combat stress, which I think most moms could benefit from a little less stress! Grab a box of colored pencils to go with them.

A robovac is the best thing ever. I have been using my robovac for almost 2 years now, and when people ask if it works well, the answer is YES! I start my vacuum by pressing a button, every Friday morning. When I get off work, my carpets and linoleum are vacuumed. My robovac even leaves the carpet lines that professional cleaning services do!

Yes, they are expensive. Are they worth the money? For me, yes. Without question. I am a working mom and time is a scarce resource around here. I love my robovac.

As one more added bonus… I posted an article on tips to soothe a fussy baby, and talked about how colicky and fussy babies are calmed by the sound of the vacuum. The robovac is amazing for soothing fussy babies, without having to move around a vacuum. Mom gets rest, baby gets soothed… it is a win-win-win situation.

For busy moms, for moms of fussy babies, and for moms who like to leave the house every once in a while, a baby carrier is a MUST. It is so convenient to put your baby in a carrier when you need to get the laundry done, or need to get dinner on the table. If your child refuses to nap and you’re at your wits-end, the carrier is an easy way to rock your baby to sleep. If you need to get a cart’s full of groceries, but don’t want to put the baby car seat in the cart, the baby carrier is the best.

I have a Beco Gemini, and have gotten my money’s worth from it, ten times over. A baby carrier makes an excellent gift for a new mom.

These are my ideas for the best gifts for new moms. Even a phone call, email, or Christmas card will be appreciated by the new mom. It is, after all, the thought that counts, and taking the time to think of how busy, tired, and sleep-deprived a new mom is will go a long way!

More Gift Ideas

My first born child, who is now 5, was a fairly easy baby. She cried when she was hungry, but she generally had an easy-going temperament. I naively thought parenting was fairly easy. I might have even said a time or two that I thought I was naturally good at parenting.

Maybe that is why, when my son was born, I was so shocked to discover how completely different he was from his sister. The first night in the hospital, after a 24-hour labor, he cried and didn’t really stop the whole night. I picked him up, nursed him, got him back to sleep and laid him down. The second he hit the bed, he would be wide awake and crying again. I doubt I had more than 1 hour cumulative sleep that night.

My son is what I call a high needs baby. I found an article on Dr. Sears website on 12 features of a high needs baby, and he fits the criteria! He is intense, demanding, draining, super sensitive, he eats frequently, he awakens frequently, and he hates to be put down, preferring that I hold him constantly. Oh, and he is definitely not a self-soother. While I am totally in love with my son, and we have lots of great times together, I have often wondered how I have survived these past 7 months.

The good news is that he is getting a little bit easier with each milestone he passes. I have also read that all babies eventually grow up and move out, so I figure this can’t possibly last longer than 18 years.

I know there are other parents out there, like me, who have high needs or really fussy babies, and may be looking for ways to help soothe their little ones. If you are such a parent, first, let me give you a big virtual hug. I know how hard it is. I know how tired you are. I know how impossible this situation seems. You want to enjoy your baby, but it is so hard. But, I want you to know that this phase will not last forever! It will get easier! And in the mean time, here is a list of tips to soothe a fussy baby that have helped with my son.

How to Soothe a Fussy Baby

Wear all the Babies

The single most helpful thing I have done to soothe a fussy baby is to wear him in a baby carrier. Even at 7 months, my son spends between 2 – 5 hours a day in my Beco Gemini. If he is in the carrier, he is usually content. It is also one of the few ways I can get him to sleep (he does not like to be rocked). I wear him around the house while watching TV or play Clash of clans on my phone, to get him to sleep. I wear him so I can do dishes and laundry. I wear him at the grocery store, so I am not that mom with the screaming baby (you’re probably not surprised to learn that he hates his car seat).

The baby carrier has been invaluable to me. Of all the things that I bought for my baby, this is the one thing that I couldn’t live without.

Turn on the Blow Dryer

I have heard this is great for colicky babies, and it works wonderfully when my son is on 30 minutes of constant wailing, and I am about to lose it. I turn on the blow dryer (not facing him, obviously), and let the white noise do its magic.

Here is a video from a couple months ago. This was after a particularly wretched night of no sleep and a whole lot of crying. I had to get to work, so I set him in the bouncer while I blew my hair dry, and was amazed to hear him stop crying. So amazed that I had to record it:

A Sleep Machine for Sleeping

Many high needs babies are very sensitive to noise, and I learned that when I kept my home impossibly quiet, the smallest sound would wake him up. I decided to get a sleep machine to play the sound of the ocean while he slept, and discovered that he slept longer with the white noise, which prevented him from hearing his sister playing in her room, or me making lunch in the kitchen.

The Vacuum

Another favorite among moms of colicky babies, the vacuum seems to be a God-send for many parents. I had a robovac from before I had my son. If I had a pressing deadline, or really needed to study, I could turn on my vacuum, have it clean my house, and my little boy would set contently on the ground, watching the vacuum go. Of course, regular vacuums work wonders, as well. It is the noise that distracts them from being cranky!

Bath Time

I know some babies hate bath time, but my son loved the water from the day he was born. I love this baby bath that sets directly in a big bath, while still allowing the baby to feel the warm water. We took lots of baths! Some for cleanliness, but many more for something to calm him down and make him happy.

These are my tips to soothe a fussy baby. If you have any other ideas that have helped you or your baby, please share them in the comments below!

A friend of mine is currently pregnant, and we were having a discussion about her plans to breastfeed. She told me she wanted to breastfeed for the first 3 months, but then she would switch her baby to formula, because she didn’t think she would have the time to pump, and she thought it would be too difficult once she returned to work.

Now, I am 100% for women making their own choices on how to feed their babies. However, since she seemed interested in the benefits of breastfeeding, I did share with her how I am able to breastfeed and pump for my baby, who goes to daycare, in case she decides she wants to continue breastfeeding after her maternity leave.

I was able to breastfeed my first baby for 15 months, while working a full-time job. I am still breastfeeding my second baby, who is now six months old, and I am still working 🙂 Neither one of them have ever had formula, and I can say that while it is probably easier to formula feed as a working mom, breastfeeding was important enough to me that I was willing to pump for a year at work, with each baby.

When my son was born, even though I had already gone through a year of pumping (5 years ago), I was still a little freaked out about the logistics of pumping at work. Where do you do it? What supplies do you need? How do you keep your pump parts clean between pumping? There are a few questions to answer, but once you get those down, it really is not a big deal, and it is a nice break I get twice a day.

If you’re expecting and want to know what pumping at work entails, here is what I do to breastfeed and pump for a baby in daycare.

What you need

An (electric) breastpump – they do make manual breastpumps that are cheaper, but if you’re going to pump everyday, you really need an electric one. Trust me on that one. I used the madela pump in style, and it has made it 5 years, 2 babies and 18 months of pumping. Check with your insurance company, because many policies will cover the cost of the pump, so you pay nothing out of pocket!

Bottles – Ooh, the options! I have used quite a few, and have 3 different ones to recommend. For the baby with colic and gas, I recommend trying Dr. Brown’s bottles (but they are a pain to wash). For convenience, I recommend Kiinde breastfeeding system, which comes complete with a bottle warmer designed specifically to reheat breastmilk while still preserving the vital nutrients. For a more eco-friendly bottle, and what I personally use, is LifeFactory glass bottles. One interesting thing about breastfed babies is that the nutrients of breastmilk changes as the baby grows, so they don’t increase their intake of milk like formula fed babies do. My 6-month old is still eating 3 – 4 oz at a time, where formula-fed babies his age at his daycare are eating between 6 – 8 oz. My point being is that the 5 oz bottles I bought will likely be the only bottles I need for him.

Thermal Bags – You don’t necessarily have to have this, but it is certainly convenient to have a thermal bag to keep your bottles in for transporting from work to home or daycare. You can find these bags anywhere. This bag is similar to what I use. Make sure to keep your bottles in the fridge after pumping. Breastmilk only stays good at room temperature for 6-8 hours.

Tape or Labels – Having some tape or labels to write the dates of the bottles is helpful to keep track of which bottles are the freshest. Breastmilk stays good in the fridge for 3 – 5 days, so rotate it from oldest to newest, and if it is getting close to the expiration date, you can freeze it so you don’t waste it.

Helpful Tips

How Often – I pump twice a day. I feed my son around 7am, before work. I pump at 9:40, then I go nurse him on my lunch break, pump at 2:40, and pick him up at 5:00, and nurse on demand at home.

Time – it takes me 10 – 15 minutes to pump about 8 ounces (enough for two bottles), using an electric pump.

Make Breastfeeding Bags – I wash all of my pump parts and bottles in the evening. In the morning, when they’re dry, I put all of my bottles and bottle parts in one gallon ziploc bag. I put all of my pump parts in another gallon ziploc bag. I pack them in a large shoulder bag, along with my breastpump, and I’m ready to go!

Skip Washing Between Pumping – I pump twice a day, and in between pumping, I place my pump parts back in the ziploc bag, and keep them in the refrigerator. That way, I don’t have to wash the pump parts between pumping. I do take them home at the end of each day and wash them in hot, soapy water.

Make Good Use of Break time – I am in graduate school, so I use my pump breaks to read and study! If you’re not so packed for time, stream Netflix! Read a great book! Meditate! This break time (which your employer is required by federal law to give you) can be quite relaxing and beneficial.

Learn the Rules of Handling Breastmilk – I could tell you all of the ins and outs of proper handling of breastmilk, but I’d probably forget something, so be sure to check out the CDCs recommendation on how to handle breastmilk, and make sure you’re following safe procedures.

Have you been a breastfeeding and working mom? Or an exclusive pumper? What tips do you have to share on breastfeeding and pumping? Leave a comment below!

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All material on this website is provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. Posts may contain affiliate links, which helps me buy supplies to make more great posts to share! Please see my Disclaimer Section for additional information.